1. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter

2. Ford Approval Ratings

3. Carter Approval Ratings

4. Carter vs. Ford

5. Commercials

6. Trusteeship Presidency

7. The Presidency of Jimmy Carter (Democrat) 1976-1980
“Washington outsider “
(Governor of Georgia)
Carter appeals to voters
who are still dealing
with the dishonest
Nixon Presidency. He
wins the 1976 election
in a landslide.

8. Carter’s Successes promotion of human rights.
Carter’s foreign relations
strategy was focused on the
promotion of human rights.
Turns over Panama Canal to Panama (2000)
Camp David Accords – Carter negotiates the signing of the first peace agreement between an Arab nation (Egypt) and Israel. Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signing
The Camp David Peace Accords with
Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin

9. Carter’s Challenges
Economic Problems – Inflation, Unemployment, Energy Shortages, and Gas Lines
Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
Dealing with the Cold War
Low Public Morale Following the US Defeat in Vietnam
Iran Hostage Crisis
Low Confidence in American Politics as a Result of the Watergate Scandal

10. Jimmy Carter: "It comes out fuzzy," May 21, 1978
On May 12, 1978, President Jimmy Carter agreed to a tax-cut package under pressure from Congress and the Federal Reserve Board, seeking to end an economic recession. Image consultant Gerald Rafshoon set about to alter the public perception of Carter as being indecisive. But his efforts were soon overwhelmed when Iranians took Americans hostage. Carter's ill-conceived attempt at a military rescue of the hostages resulted in a desert disaster, with loss of American lives and planes. 10

11. Energy
Source: Office of Trade and Economic Development, Washington state. Available at:

12. Inflation
A Case Study: The March Inflation Rate - April 19, Source: Econed.org, available at

13. Interest Rates
Source: Christopher D. Merrett, The Future of Rural Communities in a Global Economy, University of Iowa Center for International Finance and Development. Available at:

14. Three Mile Island In 1979 a nuclear accident
occurred at the power plant
located in Three Mile Island,
PA. Although the disaster
turned out to be not as
serious as originally
reported it shook American
confidence in technology
and nuclear power.

15. Cold War “heats up” In 1979, the Soviet Union ended the Détente era by
invading Afghanistan. In
response to the Soviet
aggression, Carter made
the decision for the US to
boycott the 1980 Summer
Olympics held in Moscow.

16. Moscow Olympics 1980, July 19, 1978
On July 14, 1978, the Soviet government imprisoned Anatoly Shcharansky, a dissident accused of supplying secret material to a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The trial began on July 10, just two days before the start of U.S.-Soviet strategic arms limitation talks in Geneva. The trial captured public attention because Shcharansky had been promoting the cause of Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union. In addition, Shcharansky's countryman Alexander Ginzburg, manager of a fund for political prisoners, received a sentence of hard labor on July 13. President Jimmy Carter spoke out against the trials but said that American athletes would not boycott the Moscow Olympics. He reversed this decision in 1980 after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. 16

17. Iran Hostage Crisis
Shah Pahlavi
Ayatollah Khomeini
In 1979 a political coup led by Islamic fundamentalist
Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Pro-West Shah of Iran
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. As the new regime was Anti-
American, Iran quickly became an enemy of the US.

18. Iran Hostage Crisis Shortly after being removed
from power, the Iranian
Shah was allowed into the US to
seek treatment for cancer. In
response to the US action,
Iranian students rushed the US
embassy in Tehran and took 66
Americans hostage. After
several pleas for their release,
Carter ordered in American
helicopters to rescue the
hostages. Unfortunately,
however, the helicopters crashed
in the desert on their way to
Tehran.
American Hostages Paraded in Tehran
Wreckage from the US Helicopters
Sent to free the US Hostages in Iran

19. Khomeini: Spiritual leader, April 8, 1979
The Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi, left his country on January 16, 1979 paving the way for a new government led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. On April 1, 1979, Khomeini established an Islamic republic in Iran, calling it "the first day of the government of God." Revolutionary fervor ran high as armed vigilante bands and kangaroo courts made bloody work of the Shah's last partisans and what remained of the secular left. Under Khomeini's fanatic rule, firing squads summarily carried out death sentences. His followers seized the American embassy and numerous hostages on November 4, 1979. 19

20. November 4, 1979

21. Rescue Mission April 1980

23. The 1980 Presidential Election
Dem. Jimmy Carter vs.
Rep. Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was a 72 year old
former actor and Gov
of California. Appealing to
voters, Reagan promised to
lead the US to greatness
again. He won the election
easily, and soon after his
election the Iranian
hostages were released.
Ronald Reagan